Local farmers predict bumper harvest this season

Last season farms produced 28,500 tonnes of 'class one', or best quality, fruit and vegetables and are expected to reach 38,800 tonnes by October next year.

ABU DHABI // Farmers across the emirate are expected to produce an additional 10,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables this season compared with last, in the hope that more consumers will choose to buy local produce.

The prediction was part of an announcement by the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC) of its plan for the coming season, which runs from November until October.

Last season, ADFSC-affiliated farms produced 28,500 tonnes of “class one”, or best-quality, fruit and vegetables, and they are expected to reach 38,800 tonnes by October next year.

More than 1,100 farms will participate in the organisation’s production plan, out of almost 4,000 across the emirate with the capability to grow vegetables.

The ADFSC helps farmers by providing them with market data, advice and logistical support, as well as providing a minimum-price guarantee – which helps to protect them from unexpected falls in the market price.

“It doesn’t insure them against a crop failure, but it insures them against a market failure,” said ADFSC chief executive Chris Hirst.

The scheme is funded by taking commission from produce that sells above the market value and using it to supplement the price when it falls below the minimum-price guarantee. The ADFSC examines each type of crop independently before projecting the values for the coming year.

Cucumbers are by far the most abundant crop, accounting for 29.2 per cent and more than 11 million kilograms of the expected yield for next season.

Tomatoes make up 16.3 per cent, aubergines 5.6 per cent, green capsicums 4.5 per cent and white cabbages 3.6 per cent of the expected total.

ADFCS sees significant challenges in building trust in local produce and encouraging more shoppers and retail outlets to buy from local farmers.

“Three or four years ago the big-name local retailers would have a very low-profile display of local products,” Mr Hirst said. “It would be small amounts of shelf space and low shelf space, and it would be cheap and people would have to go looking for it.

“But now they are in the main display space and there are many different promotions. I think that perception is changing. It will be interesting to see how this will change in future.”

“It is not easy, but I think we must emphasise the trust in our local supply chain,” said Martin Aguirre, produce supply chain section manager at ADFSC. “We have to explain to our customers all the work behind these products.

“They are not normal products. There is strict control and recommendations, as well as food-safety regulations. We test all our products for pesticides and micro contamination, and once we help the consumer to value local produce, the price [farmers get] will go up.”

Other objectives for the coming season include improving the centre’s nursery concept, which provides farmers with saplings rather than seeds, to reduce the time between planting and harvest.

The centre will also be using a new facility in Al Ain to grow herbs to sell to supermarkets. It will also be stepping up its monitoring of pesticides used on all its crops.

New crops are expected to be added this year, bringing the total to 36 across the emirate. ADFSC supplies about 40 retail outlets, hotel chains and other buyers.